California Call To Arms For A Fastbike Law.

slickdude said:

AB1096 passed committee on April 29th. The end of ebikes in California, it was a great 1KW bike while it lasted.

By the way my fellow G'Bikers which includes some neighbors here who went gas.

The same group of rats have you targeted as well and probably carbon pedal bikes too.

After all if they can criminalize electric bikes with throttles, they can easily criminalize anything. .

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The end of ebikes is a little dramatic.

Class 2 ebikes have throttles and can go 20 mph which is the same as the old laws.
The only change is dropping 1000 watts to 750 watts which is the same as the rest
of the USA.

I agree that these new laws are very complicated and probably unenforceable in real life
on the streets. Cops don't care or even know anything about ebikes.

312.5. (a) An “electric bicycle” is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.

(1) A “class 1 electric bicycle,” or “low-speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle,” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

(2) A “class 2 electric bicycle,” or “low-speed throttle-assisted electric bicycle,” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

(3) A “class 3 electric bicycle,” or “speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle,” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour, and equipped with a speedometer.

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The same group of rats have you targeted as well and probably carbon pedal bikes too.

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Your claim that the rats will make laws "targeting" pedal bikes makes you look kooky.

The gas bike laws were just made much better this year by increasing the 2 HP limit to 4 HP.

You are correct, but remember they did away with all other forms of electric bicycles including no grand fathering laws for older 1kw bikes.

In addition this bill was financed by Currie Technologies in some form and its CEO sits the state ebike board who crafted this. No off trail riding also makes no sense. It makes ebikes for offroad such as hipower cycles products illegal. It is quite clear to me that this bill is a major conflict of interest to lockdown the marketplace for Curry and mainly slow ebikes because people don't buy them in bulk. Also the viciousness of this ebike bill indicates to me, these same people will attack gbikes and eventually super lightweight pedal bikes. Nothing kooky with having vision. I honestly hope I am wrong on this, but honestly they are in business to sell pedal electric bikes. With low cost performance ebikes banned, next are low cost Gas bicycles and then lightweight pedal bikes. It makes perfect sense they will get bills into legislation to deal with these later. Of course time will tell, but I suspect they will do this. Yeah for now GBikes went to 4 hp, but who is to say a bill doesn't come along dropping motor size to 10cc and hp to 1/4 hp. Say it can't happen, then just look at the 1kw ebike riders and also faster ebikes for off road use. They just got zeked by this group and I have a suspicion this group of dirty rats is just getting started.

Think of this bill for example by Fiat and its new small electric car getting Tesla banned for having to big an electric motor.

AB 1096 appears to be passing. As of this point, I refuse to re register my ebike as a motorcycle. I have considered putting a cycle analyst on the controller and then could dial it in for compliance. They won't know exactly what motor size it is as it doesn't say so. Another thing. a 1KW motor hub looks just like a 500watt hub. Or I might put my ebikes up for sale and forgo motored bikes altogether. Can find a used Harley pretty good shape for around three four grand, price of most higher end ebikes.

have to cut carbon emissions! have to reduce our carbon footprint! have to ensure anyone with an engine capacity below **cu can no longer use it! ha ha ha! and we will make any other alternative a complete nightmare to use!

am i the only one that sees some conflict of interest here? this whole "green eco friendly" sham is just an act...

im always amused how only the state of california cops cancer and birth defects... :wacko:

get a hog! make sure its kick start! e-starters are for girls...

just one more day and i get my full license back and i can act like an idiot for a while! yippee!

(they banned petrol engines on bicycles here... and ebikes are useless where i live... so two years of not having a license(if i was caught doing ANYTHING wrong in the last year...) is unthinkable...)

Yeah I hear you man. I actually like the performance of my ebikes though. They do run like a rocket for a while and with the incredible battery and capacitor technologies now in the pipeline, I wish this state of California really opened it up. Nothing against my GBike friends here or abroad, to each their own. But when these ebikes have been running and they have now for over 18,000 miles of my actual riding enjoyment. They have just been a blast. Yeah looking at a Harley maybe and honestly with a bad right knee since that does handicap me a bit, a button starter would be welcomed in my own case. Thinking maybe a Heritage if I can get a great deal.

slickdude said:

Yeah I hear you man.
I actually like the performance of my ebikes though.

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Me too.
960W with gears is nothing short of awesome on a light but strong bike.
This particular one is back in the shop because he wore out the planetary gears in the Cyclone motor and I had my new mechanic Joe take it home yesterday.



The Specialized bike is only 35# and full suspension.
The good kind that doesn't encroach into the center cavity.



Joe lives 15 miles away.
He left yesterday at 4pm, it was 112F outside.
It 'heat stopped' once on the trip home requiring 10 minutes to cool off to continue.

It was 91F when he rode back in this morning without charging and no heat issues and it still runs with the initial charge.
So 30+ mile range at 30 mph because of the low gearing.

I am going to outfit the motor with some heat sinks today as the customer uses it in the mountains to pull a trailer to take his kids to and from school on weekdays.

Outrageously expensive, the Specialized itself was ~$3,500 with all his upgrades before we got to the electric part.
That 110 18650 cell EM3ev battery cost me $1,000 and that was buy buying 3 because of shipping costs.

And even with the battery and motor Joe, 160# soaking wet, can easily lift it over his head.



When price is not the main factor it's hard to argue against something that make no noise, pollution, can run at those speed for a long distance, and a little guy can not only lift it over his head, it doesn't spill any 'fuel' in the process, heck you can lay it bed with you and sleep with it if you wanted to ;-}

Just a note, it's Joes new favorite ride and he has rode a lot of cool gas bikes so far.

I feel a bicycle frame, rims and bearings are not strong enough for your faster speeds, I think 40 MPH would be pushing it, I say 40 because most of the streets in CA. off the freeway are 40 MPH.
I am getting into the "Motorized Scooter" read your DMV handbook on this one everything is wide open, I love it.
P.S. This site should allow M/S to join, or the movement will pass you by and be on it's own

Motorized Scooters are cool, I just have trouble with the California law that limits them to a maximum speed of 15mph.

Am wondering since faster than 20mph ebikes will require a M1 or M2 in the near future. When I was in the mid to end of the 1970's I had a motorcycle license on my regular license, long since expired. Will the Calif DMV let me just take a writ for my M1 or do I have to do that and ride again since I have had my motorcycle license in the past. Just curious, anyone know what the status is on these, thanks?

Well just called the DMV. Once the endorsement on a license expires you got to start from scratch again. That really sucks.

No worries Slick, if AB 1096 gets signed into law 1, 2 & 3 Electric bicycles will be just that bicycles, no drivers license required. In fact recent revisions even did away with the min age limit although I can't believe that will hold. Electric motorized bicycles (Mopeds with or without pedals), Max 4hp (3000w), 30mph, that fall under cvc406(a) will still require drivers license with an M endorsement, same as they do now.


Edited: I see the age limit of 16yo is back in for class 3 (28mph) only